WHAT IF?: PART 1 (AURADON: SCHOOL OF SECRETS)
by DCH95
Summary: 10 Year old Mal gets washed away by the sea and somehow escapes the Isle. She is saved by a mermaid. Everyone on the Isle thinks she is dead. This is the story of Mal's life as an Auradon girl. A/N: Second chapter takes place a few days before Ben's proclamation. There will be back stabbing, revenge, breaks-ups, soul mate bonds and laughs.
1. Prologue

Once upon a time there were two girls who were the best of friends. One had purple hair and eyes the color of emerald that sparkled with mischief and the other had teal and white braids, dark skin and eyes as dark as the midnight sky.

Their mothers are known as the Mistress of Evil and the Sea witch.

Everyone knew that the two were strong allies, not friends -there's no such thing as friends on the Isle of the Lost, only allies, lackeys, minions, muscle and knuckleheads. The Isle is a prison for villains and their offspring.

Anyways, it was a hot June day, the daughters of Maleficent and Ursula were busy causing mayhem as usual. They just finished playing a prank on Hook's crew

The two ten year olds enjoyed making the lives of others full of misery.

Mal, the daughter of Maleficent caught sight of their next target, Cruella De Vil. Uma, the daughter of Ursula follow her line of sight.

The girls shared a look.

"Let's get her," Mal said, she smirked evilly.

The crazy woman was the only one who didn't fear their mothers. They were determined to prank the living daylights out of her.

They watched Cruella sauntering down the docks. She glared at everyone she met. Her glare made one of Hook's pirates wet himself.

Uma was confused as to what she was doing in this part of the island.

" _What's she doing down here?"_ Uma thought to herself.

"Goblin barge will be arriving soon," Mal said.

Uma didn't realize that she spoke her thoughts aloud.

"Cruella likes to get first dibs," Mal explained. "She hopes to find some old fur coat that those prissy princesses thrown out. It's hilarious seeing her and the Evil Queen battle for dibs."

Uma wondered if her best friend caused mischief without her.

She saw Mal getting the last batch of slippery slime and could see that she was struggling to carry the bucket.

"Hurry!" Uma said.

She ran towards Mal, wanting to help her carry the heavy bucket. She was just about to grab the handle…

"I've got it," Mal snapped.

"Let me," Uma said. "You did Gaston."

Mal chuckled at that memory of the big oaf going over the dock and splashing into the water upside down. She was brought out of her memory by Uma pulling the bucket to her side.

"Stop it, let go!" Mal shouted.

"No. You let go!" Uma yelled.

They yanked the bucket left and right, splashing bits of the yucky goo on the deck not realizing the mess that they are making.

The moment Uma finally wrenched it away Mal lost her grip on the handle making the bucket overturn and spill it's contents.

She tripped and fell on the slippery puddle.

"Mal!" Uma yelped.

"Help me! Help!"

Mal tried to grab hold of the dock railing, but her hands kept sliding down the docks like a flopping fish. Uma started laughing.

She didn't notice that her best friend was crying for help when she said that she could not swim.

It took a while for Uma to stop laughing.

"Mal!" Uma called out and rushed to the edge of the railing. "Mal! Where are you? Are you okay?"

Uma started panicking when she didn't see the purple head of hair among the waves.

In the Shadows Anthony Tremaine watched what happened. He rushed to his grandmother's place and told her what happened.

News travelled fast on the Isle.

Lady Tremaine told the Evil Queen, the Evil Queen told Mad Madam Mim and the news eventually came to the ruler of the island, Maleficent.

Jafar and the Evil Queen was scared of Maleficent because she showed no emotion.

She signaled one of her knuckleheads.

"Tell those pirates to search the seas for my daughter or else there _will_ be hell to pay," she pissed.

He nodded and ran out.

Something strange happened. Lightning struck and thunder rumbled. There residents of the Isle could feel vibrations under their feet.

They stopped what they were doing because something strange was happening to the barrier.

One side of the barrier was flickering for a few seconds and it stopped.

Maleficent wondered what that was about. She's never seen the barrier act that way before.

Shaking her head, she went back to sit on her throne and waited for her minions to bring her daughter home.

What she did not know was that her daughter was outside of the Isle's barrier and drifting into the sea. Little Mal was the cause of the disturbance.

It wasn't long until Mal was found by a mermaid…

 **oOo**

"I can't believe it. Would she do this…"

"I knew it was a bad place, but this little girl didn't deserve this. Broken bones, bruises," there was a shudder. "Malnutrition."

"We can't allow anyone to know that she's from the Isle."

"Agreed, but what should we tell the others…"

Mal was aware of what was being said, but she did not open her eyes. She used her senses to find out that she was in some foreign land.

It didn't have a rotten smell, she couldn't sense anything evil round her.

The atmosphere was calm.

Mal could felt comfortable, wherever she was.

There was a moment of silence.

"I think it would be best if you adopt her. I don't think it is safe for her to return to that retched place."

"But King Beast would never allow us to adopt her."

"What King Beast doesn't know, won't hurt him," another voice said. "All they know is that there was a disturbance in the barrier. No one, but this little girl made it out."

"I shudder to think what the other children of those villains are going through," the woman said.

Mal assumed that it was the doctor who sighed. "The other royals tried their best to convince King Beast to get those children off the Isle, but he's scared that they are like their parents."

"What did Beast expect," someone spat. "That bloody hypocrite."

The first feeling Mal felt was horror.

She was Auradon.

 _How the hell did I end up in Auradon? I shouldn't even be here._

"I'll get the papers ready and you try to figure out a cover story," the doctor said. "The press will go nuts when they find out that there is another royal."

"I hope she agrees to stay with us," the woman said.

Mal could hear them standing up and leaving the rooms.

When the door closed, she opened her eyes to see that she was in some infirmary.

It looked bigger than the one in the Isle.

Mal looked out the window to see her home across the seas. She could not believe that she somehow escaped the island and all the way to the land of goodness.

Her mom would be horrified if she found out that her daughter is about to be adopted by unknown royals.

 _My mom… Would she notice that I went missing? Would she even care at all? Would she be looking for me? Does she even love me at all?_

Tears ran down her cheeks.

Mal felt sadness.

She saw her reflection in the mirror and started sobbing. She remembered when Lady Tremaine said that she looks exactly like her mom at her age.

Mal hated that she had to earn her full name.

She knew that she would never measure up to her mom.

Sometimes it felt as if her mom was trying to mould her into a carbon copy of herself.

There would be times when she wanted to scream: _"I don't want to be like you, mother!"_ But she held her tongue and would do as her mom says.

Mal glared at her reflection.

" _Beware, foreswear…"_

What she did not know was that the doctor peeked in to see if the girl was awake, but saw her doing something.

" _Change purple to blonde hair."_

Green smoke appeared and once it cleared the doctor kept her gasp in to see that this ten year old change her hair color.

It was a pale blonde color with faded purple tips.

"I'm nothing like you mother," the girl said harshly, staring out at the island. "I'll never be you."

 _Oh Maleficent, what did you do to your daughter that made her change her appearance,_ the doctor thought.

The doctor made her way to her office and went straight to the phone. After dialing a number the phone rang four times before someone on the other side answered.

"Marissa, I need your help…"

 **oOo**

Back on the Isle…

" _Nooooo!"_

The Evil Queen had tears in her eyes.

Three days have passed since Mal went missing. The pirates searched high and low for their leader's daughter, but there was no sign if she was living or dead.

Maleficent howled.

She was on the floor sobbing.

The Evil Queen gave the kunckleheads a look. They scattered out of the house while she went to comfort Maleficent. Evie stayed in her room listening.

She could feel sadness and grief coming from her mom's former enemy.

Near the docks, Ursula and Morgana were congratulating Uma for getting rid of Mal.

"You should be proud of yourself, Uma," Ursula said. "You're finally becoming your old lady. You've made me the proudest villain ever."

All guilt of not helping Mal vanished.

"The downside is that Maleficent will know it's you because of those raggy pirates," Morgana stated. "Should've gotten rid of her quietly."

"Oh hush," Ursula snapped at her sister. "Let her enjoy her victory. She deserves it."

Uma grinned evilly knowing that she finally did what Mal couldn't: make her mom proud.


	2. Break Up and Posts

_It has been six years since Melody found me drifting outside of the Isle's barrier. I found myself in a hospital close to Triton's Bay._

 _I pretended to be asleep when Melody and her family came to visit and was shocked when I heard that they wanted to adopt me even though my mom is alive and kick on the Isle of the Lost._

 _Funny, Ursula's enemies want to adopt a VK._

 _Within those few days I realized that some royals dislike King Beast because he never listens to them._

 _They've tried their best to convince him to bring the children from the Isle of the Lost here to Auradon, but you know how stubborn he is – obviously the answer was no._

 _Things are not all good in Auradon as the villains thought._

 _There's so much drama and chaos that happens behind closed doors. Every hero has a dark secret hidden at the very back of their closet and right now I'm the dirtiest secret hidden in the castle of Triton's Bay._

 _Everyone else in Auradon thinks that I am the long lost cousin of Prince Eric who lost her parents in a fire that happens a few years ago._

 _Eric and Ariel made sure that I stayed out of the spotlight._

 _The only people that met me were the daughters of Mulan, Fairy Godmother and Rapunzel. Then there's the son of Aladdin and Jasmine and last the son of Dopey._

 _It took a while for me to get used to this new life._

 _I had the looks of a princess (thanks to the glamour spell), but I had to act like one as well. It wasn't hard because I was used to acting._

 _Melody is older than me by a month. She's the rebellious type. Her parents grounded her for a month for swimming too close to the island of villains._

 _Then there's Arabella, my adoptive cousin. She's a bit like Melody, but knows when enough is enough. She doesn't push buttons like her elder cousin._

 _We're the same age, but I'm two months older than her._

 _I didn't have much to catch up in schoolwork. Most of the subjects taught here are taught on the Isle. Thank goodness I didn't have to be in a class with people younger than me._

 _How embarrassing would that be?_

 _Anyways today is my first day at Auradon Prep. Doug showed me around campus since the others were busy with their daily activities._

 _Fairy Godmother made sure that no paparazzi will enter the school grounds._

 _They have no clue how I look like because I was castle schooled and that my face was covered. I was scared that the villains on the Isle would recognise me that's why I mostly stayed indoors away from the public eye._

 _Whoops, bell's gonna ring in ten minutes._

 _Gotta go._

 _Love, Mal._

 **oOo**

The son of Queen Belle and King Beast managed to get to school on time. He was stuck in an emergency council meeting with the sidekicks and his father.

He knew that there was so much to being a king, but he didn't know that he had to sacrifice the last of his teenage years.

Prince Ben was too much like his mom; putting the kingdom's needs above his own.

It wouldn't be long until he takes his dad's place as king of Auradon.

The best part about his training to be king is that he avoids his self-proclaimed girlfriend, Audrey. Everytime he tried to break it gently to her, she would burst into crocodile tears.

Audrey just knew how to guilt trip him.

It's no secret that she only likes him because he is next in line for the throne and if she's lucky she'll be crowned queen of Auradon.

He promised himself that as soon as he sees Audrey, he will break up with her.

Ben walked towards his class in a daze.

Aziz noticed this. "Everything okay? You seem out of it."

"I'm fine, why?" Ben asked, confused.

"You haven't listened to a word I said," Aziz answered. "You've been zoning out. What gives? Is it Audrey again? Did her favorite store run out of pink nail polish again?"

Ben shook his head.

"Benny bear!"

Ben groaned hearing that horrid nickname.

"Catch you later," Aziz said before Audrey reached them.

This is it, Ben thought. He turned to face Audrey and her two best friends, Ally and Gladys.

Audrey was about to kiss Ben, but he turned only for her to kiss him on the cheek. Audrey hid her irritation at her boyfriend always avoiding kissing.

"Where have you been lately? I haven't seen you in ages. It's like you're avoiding me," Audrey said.

"Ladies, can I have a moment alone with Audrey?" he asked her two best friends.

Alarms rang in their heads.

They left the couple, bit hid away round the corner to listen in to their conversation.

 _This is it. He's going to ask me to the coronation,_ Audrey squealed in her thoughts _. Grammy is going to be so happy that I manage to snag the future king. I can just see it, Queen Audrey of Auradon. That has a great ring to it._

"And that's why I have to break up with you."

Audrey snapped out of her thoughts.

"Excuse me, what?" Audrey snapped.

"Audrey, don't make this harder than it already is," Ben said. "We were never going to work out. We would have been miserable and at each other's throats. It's better if we find other people. I'm sure you will find someone who will treat you better than I ever did."

Ben kissed Audrey on the cheek and left her standing in the hallway.

Ally and Gladys came out of their hiding place. They were about to comfort their best friend.

"What. Just. Happened?" Audrey asked.

"Ben broke up with you," Gladys answered. "Oh Audrey…"

"No," Audrey growled, surprising her friends. "He didn't."

"Gladys, she was off in her own world again not listening to what Ben says," Ally said. "I'm not surprised he…"

Audrey glared at Ally.

Gladys shook her head.

She loved how honest her whimsical friend is, but sometimes there are certain things she must not say in front of Audrey.

"This is all a nightmare," Audrey said to no one in particular. "When I wake up all is right with the world. He didn't break up with me. I'm going with him to the coronation and I will be Queen of Auradon."

Gladys sighed.

Sometimes she wondered why she was best friends with Audrey in the first place.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!"

Audrey's screams echoed through several hallways.

Several students and teachers came out of their classes. Ally and Gladys rushed Audrey off to their dorm before anyone saw her break down.

Ben sighed hearing Audrey scream from down the hall. He felt guilty for breaking up with her at the beginning of the school year, but he didn't love her.

For once Ben had to listen to his heart like his mom said.

He tried his best to fall in love with Audrey. She could be sweet and charming when she wanted to be, but when she doesn't get her way she acts like a brat.

Ben felt a huge burden off his shoulders.

Now he has to focus on his duties as future king.

He only has one month to go before he is crowned king of Auradon.

What the two royals did not know was that somebody was recording the break up.

"Hmmm, wonder what Aurora and Phillip would say now about their precious daughter."

Baby blue nails typed a status update that was bound to rock the perfect world of Audrey.

 **oOo**

 _ **Poor Princess Audrey. Looks like she'll never become queen. Did she really love Prince Ben or was only using him to be queen? #royallydumped.**_

 **oOo**

Fairy Godmother sighed.

She felt a headache coming on.

The meeting with Queen Leah was a nightmare. She pulled Audrey out of the school or a spa vacation to get away from the negative spotlight.

"Here," Belle handed her a cup of mint tea. "You need it."

Fairy Godmother was having tea with Queen Belle.

"Thank you," Fairy Godmother said.

"I find that mint tea helps after dealing with Queen Leah," Belle stated. "That dragon has been a thorn on mine and Adam's side for ages."

Fairy Godmother was gratetful for these quiet times where she and her closest friends would gossip, chat and unwind without any worries.

It was no secret with the Ladies that Belle disliked Queen Leah because of her snobby attitude and the way she has been raising Audrey.

Poor Aurora doesn't spent a lot of time with her own daughter because of Queen Leah taking over the maternal role.

"I'm just happy that we don't have to deal with her and Audrey for a while," Fairy Godmother said.

 **oOo**

It was already halfway through the day and already the break up between Ben and Audrey spread like a wildfire all because of someone who posted a video of their break up on InstaRoyal.

It was time for lunch and Ben didn't feel like going to the cafeteria.

He decided to hide in the library.

Not a lot of students would dare go to the library during lunch hour.

Ben sat by the desk far from the library entrance not knowing that someone else was already there busy doing homework.

"Hiding from someone?"

Ben jumped seeing an unfamiliar face.

 **oOo**

 _The lives of princes and princesses are going to be rocked._

 _Be good Auradon._

 _Someone's watching._

 _-xoxo_

 **oOo**

 **A/N: Sorry, I had to edit this chapter because I felt that the relationship Mal and Ben were moving too fast. I want to build up before anything else happens, but don't worry they will be together.**


	3. Dreaming of You

Ben never saw this girl before.

She had long blonde hair with purple tips, green eyes framed by thick lashes and pink pouty lips that are curved into a smirk.

He blushed realizing that he stared at her too long.

"Umm…"

The girl snickered a little. "Sorry for scaring you there bud. I'm Mal, short for Malia."

"That's alright," Ben said. "If you don't mind me asking, are you new here?"

"I am," Mal answered.

Ben remembered Aziz mentioning that Arabella's adoptive sister would be attending Auradon and that her name was Malia.

She is a distant cousin of Prince Eric and was adopted by him and his former mermaid wife, Princess Ariel. None of the paparazzi caught a glimpse of her face because she always covered it.

Last he heard she was being castle schooled.

Ben remembered a couple of years ago when the press went nuts about a new royal.

He snapped out of his thoughts.

"Anyways, I'm sure you know who I am," Ben cursed himself silently for sounding a bit self-centered. "Welcome to Auradon Prep."

"Thanks," Mal smiled. "So back to my earlier question; are you hiding from someone?"

"You could say that," Ben answered.

"What happened? Did you do something bad?" Mal asked, curious.

"You could say that," Ben said. "I… um.. broke up with my girlfriend and now someone posted something negative about her."

"It can't be that bad," Mal said.

Ben took out his cellphone and showed the post on InstaRoyal.

Mal's eyes widened.

"Ouch, that's harsh," Mal commented.

"Harsh, but true," Ben said.

"And you are hiding from her," Mal wasn't asking.

Ben nodded.

"You shouldn't hide because Arabella said that Audrey's gran came to fetch her half hour before fourth period," Mal told him. "And Jane said they went on some spa retreat away from negative press."

"I wonder for how long," Ben mumbled.

"Until things settle down. That's what I would have done," Mal said.

"Great, another post," Ben groaned.

 **oOo**

" _ **The lives of princes and princesses are going to be rocked.**_

 _ **Be good Auradon.**_

 _ **Someone's watching.**_

 _ **-xoxo,**_

 _ **Secret Scoop"**_ Mal read out loud.

"I would love to know who posted this," Ben said, almost growling.

"Maybe Doug could help," Mal suggested. "He is good with technology."

"Good idea," Ben said.

"Anyways, I need to get going," Mal stood up. "I want to get to art class super early or else all the backseats will be taken. It was nice meeting you Ben."

"You too, Mal," Ben said, smiling at her as she walked out of the library.

 **oOo**

The day was finally over.

Mal fell onto her bed.

So many brave souls came up to introduce themselves to her, mostly guys.

The only guy she found annoying was Chad Charming.

Doug was not kidding when she said that there's "not a lot of there there" if you catch his drift. He inherited his dad's looks but not his mom's brains.

Mal did not know what girls saw in him.

They ignore the fact that he uses girls and dumps them. Thank goodness Aziz and Doug warned her about him or else she would have fallen for that charming spell.

Her friends don't know that she has a soft spot for cute guys.

Mal thanked whoever recorded the post of Princess Audrey and Prince Ben's break up. The attention drifted away from her, the new mystery girl.

She felt bad for the couple for different reasons.

Reason one is that Audrey will forever be known as a gold digger for just wanting to have the status and power and second, Ben will probably be in big do-do with Audrey's parents.

Mal hasn't met the princess, but heard that most of the students hate the way she acts.

She found Ben to be much cuter in person, but hid her swooning with her signature smirk that Aziz says looks " _mischievous_ ".

He's such a sweet guy who looks like he has the whole world on his shoulders.

Mal knew that there would be backstabbing and gossip. It wasn't as bad as the gossip and traitorous acts on the Isle. Whoever this Secret Scoop is, she is making Auradon Prep a much entertaining place.

Mal closed her eyes and drifted into the sea of dreams.

 **oOo**

 _Mal found herself staring in a mirror._

 _She gasped seeing that she had her old long purple hair- tied in a high bun -and her dragon birthmark. Mal was wearing a regal lilac dress with green lining and she was wearing a lilac mask._

 _Standing behind her was a handsome boy with his arms round her waist._

 _He wore a dark blue suit with a dark purple tie and purple mask._

 _He had honey brown hair, hazel green eyes and a sweet kind smile that made her heart melt._

" _You look beautiful," he said._

 _Mal snorted. "Shut up. You're just saying that."_

" _I'm not just saying that."_

 _Mal gave him a look_

 _It's true," he argued and held her close to him when she turned around to face him. "I love you."_

 _Mal stared lovingly into his eyes. "I love you too."_

 _Mal could literally feel the love between them._

 _Before the two could kiss…_

 **oOo**

Mal woke up.

Her heart was beating fast.

Never had she ever had a dream like that before.

For a moment she smiled wondering who that boy was behind that mask declaring his love for her. She shook her head getting these fuzzy lovey thoughts out of her head.

Mal got up from her bed and marched her way to the dining hall wanting to eat and get the thought of romance out of her head.

 **oOo**

Meanwhile Ben was back in his dorm.

He followed the Mal's advice and found Doug in the computer class. Doug agreed to help him find out who posted the video of his and Audrey's break-up.

Sure Audrey was a self-centered girl, but she doesn't deserve to have her reputation ripped to shreds.

He fell backwards onto his best and fell asleep.

 **oOo**

 _Instead of feeling the warmth and comfort of his bed, he felt a cold wind and the smell of rotten fish disturbed him. He got up and found himself in an unfamiliar place._

 _It looked like the opposite of Auradon; dark, gloomy and miserable._

 _He was on a dock._

 _He heard laughter and saw a dark skinned child laughing at a girl who fell into the rough seas screaming that she couldn't swim and that she needed help._

 _Ben ran towards the end of the deck._

 _His heart was beating fast seeing the girl carried away by the water._

 _He wanted to shout at the girl with teal and white braids to stop laughing and help the girl, but he couldn't move or shout._

 _Ben wanted to swim after the girl. The girl's emerald eyes had so much fear. He wanted to jump in after the purple haired girl._

 _For some reason he felt a pull towards her._

 _He wanted to protect and save her._

 **oOo**

Ben woke up with a fright.

He's never had a dream like that before.

He wondered why he had such a strange dream about a girl with purple hair and green eyes being carried away by the sea while another girl laughed at that.

It felt so real.

 **oOo**

At the cafeteria someone in a hoodie was installing a camera.

" _Right, good to go,"_ she thought when she was done installing the camera.

 **oOo**

 **A/N: So Mal and Ben dreamed of each other. They're already starting to feel the soul mate bond. With Audrey out of the way for a while how long do you think it will take for them to get together?**

 **I bet you all know who is installing the camera.**

 **Could she be Secret Scoop, the one who recorded the break-up of Ben and Audrey?**

 **Anyways I'm still working on WHAT IF? PART 2: ISLE OF THE LOST. Still want to know who do you think should be in the council of villains.**

 **Will be updating in six days time after I get back from my trip.**


	4. Posts and Reveal

**A/N: Hey readers, it's been a super long time since I updated. Anyways I extended this chapter a bit. Hope you like the last part.**

 **oOo**

 _Dear diary…_

 _I wake up at 2am after having that strange dream of the boy in the mask. This time we were dancing. Everyone was watching us waltzing._

 _I wonder who would be so crazy enough to fall in love with me._

 _Am I dreaming of a future I could have when I give my heart to someone?_

 _Will this boy love me for me?_

 _I've never had this type of dream before. Mostly I would dream about my past life on the Isle; about how miserable I would be if I wasn't found by Melody._

 _What mother would say if she found out that her daughter turned her back on evil and is dreaming of a life full of romance and opportunities?_

 _Oh how she would be mocked if the villains found out that I turned my back on evil._

 _Here I am sitting at the Enchanted Lake with all these thoughts in my head._

 _Ah… the Enchanted Lake._

 _It's so peaceful._

 _It is the only place where I could be myself and be free. Not a lot of people come here. They are all glued to their phones thanks to some mystery blogger named Secret Scoop._

 _I've read all about the Enchanted Lake. Legend says that it could break any spell, enchantment and glamour and speaking of glamour…_

 _It's safe for me to break the glamour spell._

 _I'll re-apply it before I leave here._

 _It'll feel good to have my purple hair. It reminds me of what I am; a fairy._

 _I know I changed my looks just so that I do not look like my mom, but sometimes I don't feel like I'm me anymore._

 _But then again, I'm pretending to be someone I'm not; a distant cousin of Prince Eric. I'm known as Lady Malia instead of Princess Malia._

 _Melody will receive that title when her granddad passes on then their parents will be king and queen._

 _Thank goodness I don't have a lot of duties like they do. I shudder to think of what will happen if I became a princess. I know that I would break under pressure._

 _I'm enjoying my time at Auradon Prep, but I sometimes miss the peace and quiet of the castle._

 _I miss swimming and listening to the seagulls._

 _Yeah… swimming._

 _Ariel taught me how to swim after I told her what happened on the Isle with Uma. She said that nothing will happen to me and that she will protect me._

 _She commented on how much my former best friend so much like her mother, Ursula; vengeful and cold hearted._

 **oOo**

Mal closed her journal and locked it with a spell that is keyed to her magical signature.

She took off her dress revealing a purple bikini.

Mal dived into the water and she smiled seeing her reflection in the lake. Her hair was long and purple and she smiled seeing the dragon birthmark on her shoulder.

She went underwater again loving the feeling of floating.

It's not the same as the sea, but it is close enough.

Mal never misses an opportunity to swim. It's her favorite hobby second to art.

 **oOo**

While Mal was swimming in the Enchanted Lake Ben was on his way to swim there as well, but when he stopped when he saw someone was there.

He recognized who it was because of her platinum blonde hair and faded purple tips.

No girl at Auradon Prep would dare to be bold by coloring their hair.

He froze seeing that her hair was slowly changing colors and something appeared on her shoulder. It looked familiar, and then it hit him.

It's the same dragon birthmark that the little girl in his dream had and her hair color is the exact shade as well.

Ben backed away and hid behind the bushes not wanting to get caught.

Who knows what will happen if he saw her?

She'll probably think he's a pervert like Chad Charming.

He wondered how she survived and how she managed to get out of the Isle.

All these questions were running through his mind.

Ben shivered thinking of what his father would do if he found out that a villain's child is in Auradon and is adopted by those who dislike his father with a passion… cough… Eric… cough.

Whenever those two are in a room together you could literally feel the tension in the air.

Ben couldn't describe what he was feeling.

At the moment he felt protective over her; that he would do anything just to keep her safe from harm.

Ben has never felt this way about someone before. This was all too new for him and it scared him a little.

 _What has she done to me?_ He asked himself.

He barely knows her and he's feeling protective over her.

Ben decided that the best person who could explain all of this to him is his mother. Surely she has some explanation to what is happening to him.

Thank goodness Mal was distracted by swimming.

Ben made his escape and drove home to speak to his mom.

 **oOo**

Twenty minutes later Mal was done swimming and she was on her way back to the campus.

She didn't forget to re-apply the glamour charm.

Mal felt like she was on top of the world. She was relaxed and full of energy after that swim. Normally she would want to sleep after that swim.

When she got to her dorm she took a shower and got dressed for dinner then made her way to the common room where she found Arabella and Jane searching for some video on the laptop.

"Bingo," Arabella said then saw her. "Oh, hey Mal. Where were you."

"Here and there," she answered. 'What's this?"

She caught sight of a new post from Secret Scoop.

"Secret Scoop created a channel called School of Secrets," Jane answered. "It's like she's doing an exposé on the students of Auradon."

"Let's see," Mal said.

Arabella clicked on the video.

 **oOo**

 _ **"So here we are at Auradon Prep; School of legends. School of secrets is more like it. Sure you've heard of our parents, but you don't know us. Let me introduce to who you might meet here":**_

 _The video shows the different cliques at Auradon Prep._

 _Princess types, sidekick material, sports heroes and school royalty._

 _There were a few clips showing the ugly side of the students of Auradon Prep._

 _ **"Wonder what we'll learn..."**_

 _Then the clip changes to showing the girl, but the video doesn't reveal her face._

 _ **"And who am I?**_

 _ **I'm the one who's going to show you what they're really like when they don't think anyone's watching.**_

 _ **Be good Auradon, someone's watching."**_

 _The girl picks up her bag and waves to the hidden camera before she leaves._

 **oOo**

Queen Belle watched her son pace back and forth. It's the first time that she has ever seen him like this before. Usually it would be her husband acting like this.

She sighed.

"Sweety, would it make you feel better if you sat down?" she asked. "Then you can tell me what's got you all in a tizzy."

Ben took a deep breath and sat down.

They sat in silence for a few moments.

Ben wanted to collect his thoughts before he says anything.

"Mom, have you ever dreamt of someone and all of a sudden you feel drawn to them, yet you don't know anything about that person. All you feel is protectiveness and love the moment you see them or near them."

"I cant say I have been drawn to someone in my dreams," Belle said. "But I feel a pull towards your dad. Whenever we are far, it feels as if my chest hurts."

"That's exactly how I feel about her," Ben said.

"Her?" Belle asked in a soft voice.

Ben blushed when he realized that he said that out loud.

He knew that his mom would give him the look that would make him spill his guts.

"Her name's Malia Emerald," Ben said. "But she likes to be called Mal."

Belle knew who he was talking about; the mysterious relative of Prince Eric.

"I met her yesterday in the library," Ben continued. "When I first saw her, I stuttered like a complete idiot. She didn't swoon over me like the other girls. There was something different about her. It feels as if I just want to be with her…"

Belle smiled.

Belle said. "You have found your true love."

Ben noticed tears in his mom's eyes.

"My baby," Belle got up and hugged her son.

"Mom," Ben was confused.

 _Wait, true love?_

Belle pulled away from her son and saw his look of surprise.

"Ben, what you and Malia have is a soul mate bond," Belle explained. "I'm sure that she feels the same way about you, but won't do anything because you just broke up with Audrey."

"Are you sure?" Ben asked. "She's my true love?"

"Positive," Belle was sure. "What you just told me… What you are experiencing now are signs that you found your soul mate."

"What should I do?" Ben asked, feeling helpless.

"Don't rush head first into a relationship," Belle said. "Get to know her. Show her around the campus or maybe you can show her the sights in Auradon. I'm sure she will love that."

Ben nodded.

Their thoughts were disturbed by Ben's phone beeping.

Ben checked to see that it was his dad texting him.

"Something wrong?" Belle asked.

"It's Dad," Ben said. "I have a council meeting."

"Alright," Belle said and hugged her son.

Belle smiled as he left.

She felt joy that her son found his equal and just after he broke up with Audrey.

 _Wait until Fairy Godmother hears about this_ , Belle thought.

 _ **oOo**_

 _ **Three hours later...**_

Mal went to the library to find Ben looking all miserable and tired. Her eyes widened seeing stacks of documents in front of him.

 _No wonder he looks all worn out,_ she thought. _Maybe I should go help him..._

Mal walked walked over to Ben to see if he needed some help.

Ben bumped his head on the table a couple of times.

He didn't bother to look up at who was walking towards him. He could feel the leather seat dip beside him.

Someone was sitting next to him.

He heard papers shuffling and lifted his head to find Mal looking through his documents.

Mal smiled feeling his eyes on her.

"I figured you needed some help," Mal said, her eyes still on the papers. "There is no way that you can go through all of this in one day. I'm assuming these are from the last council meeting?"

"Um..."

Mal turned to face Ben.

"Eric taught me all the ropes," Mal said. "Even though I'm not next in line for the throne, I've been trained in these things."

He then sighed in sadness.

"What's the matter?" Mal asked.

The memory of the disasterous council meeting was still fresh in his mind.

"I'm going to be a terrible King," Ben stated.

"What?" Mal's eyes widened. "No ways. Why would you say that?"

"I screwed up the council meeting this afternoon. I went all "beast" on them because they were all talking at once," Ben said. "I tried my best to stay calm and find a solution, but they just wouldn't listen."

Mal winced.

That would've driven her mad too.

"I bet I disappointed my dad," Ben continued. "I really didn't behave like a king should."

Ben slumped.

Mal sighed.

"Enough of this pitty party," Mal said. "I'm going to be your self-appointed assistant."

"What?" Ben asked.

"Ben, this is too much work for one person," Mal started. "You need some help before you burn yourself out. Now, let's get started."

"Um... alright," Ben said. "First we'll start with the dwarves..."

Ben and Mal spent the rest of the afternoon going through the council's grieviances.

The two didn't notice the sun setting until the librarian announced that it was almost closing time.

"Phew!" Mal said. "That was a lot."

"No kidding," Ben said. "Thanks for helping me out. I owe you big time."

"It's not a problem," Mal said. "You don't owe me anything."

"But I do," Ben argued. "How about I give you a tour of Auradon?"

"Um..." Mal was caught off guard.

"I promise you won't regret it," Ben added.

"Sure, why not," Mal answered.

"Which time should I come pick you up from your dorm?" Ben asked. "Or should we meet right after our last class? What is your last..."

Mal placed her arm in front of Ben's mouth.

She giggled at his rambling.

"Let's meet at the courtyard after classes, sound good?" Mal asked.

Ben nodded; Mal's hand was still in front of his mouth.

"Great," Mal said. "See you tomorrow then."

Mal removed her hand from his mouth and the two left the library.

They was surprised that they spent the whole afternoon in the library. The also missed dinner.

It's ten minutes left until curfew.

Ben and Mal went their separate ways, rushing to their dorms before the hall monitors make their rounds.

 **oOo**


	5. If Only

Ben had to take things slow with the new comer. He didn't want to scare her off with the news that she might be… no… that she is his future queen. He just got out of a break up with Audrey and if word got out that he's interested in Mal, the press will butcher her.

They'll say she's the reason why he broke up with Audrey.

Ben was relieved that everyone thought he was a bit stressed because of his coronation coming up. He used that as his excuse when someone asked what was bugging him.

Today was a bit hard for the two.

The two could feel a pull towards one other. Ben wanted to embrace and Mal wanted to ignore it, but it was getting hard.

During lunch Mal would catch Ben staring at her.

She would smile and blush then turn back to her friends.

It was pretty hard to contain his excitement for the afternoon's trip. Queen Belle helped him out with a few minor things for their trip.

Fairy Godmother helped out as well.

She couldn't believe that her goddaughter is the future queen and true love of Prince Ben.

Fairy Godmother did warn Queen Belle that Ben is in for a crazy ride and that Mal isn't your typical Auradon girl.

Queen Belle wanted to ask questions about the adoptive daughter of Prince Eric and Princess Ariel, but didn't because she knew that Fairy Godmother wouldn't betray someone's trust.

She would just have to be patient.

If things go well, Ben will introduce the mysterious royal to her and her husband.

 **oOo**

The day was a bit boring for Mal.

She was a bit annoyed that her favorite class was cancelled, but at least she has a free period. She had no clue what to do though.

All her homework and assignments are up to date and she's all set for the trip this afternoon.

Maybe she could go to gym; that's Aziz's last class.

Mal made her way to the gymnasium and sat on the benches. The coach didn't mind Mal being there. He knew that the art teacher was absent.

Aziz caught sight of his friend and ran to her.

He swoop Mal up and hugged her.

"Whoa!"

Aziz put her down.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have art class?" he asked.

"It's cancelled. Miss M came out with a bad case of food poisoning," Mal answered. "So I decided to watch you hurt yourself."

"Oh ha," Aziz said sarcastically. Then he caught sight of Ben. "Hey Ben, get over here!"

Ben caught sight of his roommate and Mal.

He was confused and a bit shocked to see Mal here.

As soon as Ben reached them Aziz was about to introduce them.

"We've already met," Mal cut him off.

"Really?" Aziz was surprised and turned to Ben. "And you never told me?"

"Uh…"

"Don't bug the poor guy. He has enough on his plate mister," Mal scolded Aziz. "We met in the library on my first day and again yesterday."

"So that's where you were," Aziz wondered out loud.

"Yeah…" Ben confirmed.

"I'm his self appointed assistant," Mal announced. "I help Ben with the paperwork and you won't have to deal with a cranky roommate."

"The council again?" Aziz asked Ben.

The prince nodded.

"You owe her big time. I hope you know that," Aziz said.

"No, he doesn't," Mal disagreed.

"Yes, I do," Ben argued.

"No, you don't, Benjamin," Mal said, her voice firm.

"Yes, I do Malia," Ben smirked.

Aziz started laughing.

The two looked at him.

"The two of you argue like an old married couple!"

"Do not!" the two chorused.

Aziz burst into another round of laughter until the coach got the guys' attention.

Ben couldn't help but smile, not because he got the last word in, but because he got to see her earlier than expected.

"Okay class, break into teams of two," the coach instructed.

Mal watched the guys play basket ball.

Aziz couldn't help but notice the chemistry between his two friends.

Ben's been giving longing looks to Mal and Mal has been blushing like mad every time Ben caught her staring at him.

Aziz almost lost focus on the game because he was paying more attention to his friends' weird change in behavior.

He was almost tempted to ask her sister and friends what's going on, but decided against it because…

One, Mal keeps her personal life under lock and key and two; they both know that the girls can't keep a secret to save their lives.

An hour later the class was over.

Ben noticed that Mal wasn't sitting at the benches. He assumed that she was waiting for him at the court yard.

Ben cleaned up fast before Aziz finished up.

He wanted to get out of the school yard before anyone spots him and Mal together. He rushes through the hallways ignoring the shouts of irritation, ran through the rose gardens and caught sight of Mal waiting for him.

"That was fast," Mal said.

"Don't want anyone to trail us," Ben stated.

"And by anyone, you mean Aziz, my friends, sister and cousin," Mal guessed.

Ben nodded.

"Well, let's go before…" Mal trailed off.

"Yeah," Ben agreed.

He took her hand and led to round to the front of the school where a blue Mercedes was waiting. Just as they got into the car, looking out the window was Fairy Godmother and Queen Belle.

Queen Belle's eyes were only on the girl.

She looked beautiful, almost too perfect; pale skin, rosy cheeks, wavy pale blonde hair with purple tips. She could not help but smile hearing her son laugh as they ran towards the car.

"She's perfect for your boy," Fairy Godmother said. "Coach said that he heard that Mal helped Ben with the council's demands yesterday night."

"Really? What else has been going on with my son?" Belle asked.

"Sofia said that it isn't the first time they've seen each other…"

 **oOo**

Ben and Mal went to their first stop, the markets in Auradon City. It was a perfect day for them to go there because it wasn't too quiet and it wasn't so crowded.

What the couple did not know was that Fairy Godmother got someone to trail the two and take pictures; with Queen Belle's permission of course.

One thing everyone in Auradon still believes in and that is true love.

It has been more than twenty years since a soul mate bond formed between two people. A soul mate bond is forever.

Nothing can break them apart.

You can already see the connection between the two.

Ben's laughing at something Mal said and she's blushing, but not looking away from the prince. The two have this glow that screams true love has been found.

"No jokes. Sebastian was in so much trouble that mom had to stick him in a terrarium as punishment," Mal continued with her story.

"Isn't that a bit harsh?" Ben asked.

"Let me see… calling a girl the devils spawn all because she made a joke about crab salad. Hmmm…?" Mal gave Ben the look of "really?"

"Okay, okay," Ben said. "But still, I can't help feel sorry for him."

Mal and Ben shared a few embarrassing childhood stories. Mal made sure not to mention anything about her previous life.

Ben knew that it was going to be hard for Mal to open up about that.

He wanted to know more about the purple haired girl hiding behind this so-called perfect image of what an Auradon girl is.

He knew better than to push the newcomer.

While Mal checked out some jewelry at one of the stalls Ben wanted to check who sent him a message. He felt his phone vibrate a few minutes ago, but didn't want to look because he was listening to Mal's stories.

He paled seeing who it was.

 _I know you're with Mal, but dunno where you guys are. If you're dating her, that's cool. I'm not mad or anything. Lemme know how things go._

 _-Aziz_

 _PS. Her favorite snack is strawberries. Well anything strawberry flavored or scented are her favorites. Good luck bro!_

Ben sighed in relief that his friend wasn't mad.

Mal came back to Ben.

She had something behind her back.

"What are you hiding?" Ben asked.

"It's something I thought would be useful for you," Mal answered.

She handed him a present.

"Mal…"

"Go on, open it," Mal said.

"You didn't have to get me anything," Ben said.

Mal gave Ben a look that melted his heart.

He could not say no to her.

He opened it to find a masculine-styled ring with blue stone and green gems surrounding it. He knew the green stone was an emerald, but was unfamiliar with the blue one.

"It's a ring for protection," Mal explained. "Madam Cassandra said that you might need it in the future. She said that the emerald will protect you against dark magic, spells, enchantments and enhance psychic abilities and the blue stone, known as the lapis lazuli is the stone of awareness. She said it also protects you from malevolent forces. Along with that it'll also help you with that beasty temper you told me so much about."

Ben was shocked.

No one has ever given him such a gift before.

"Oof!"

Mal was caught off guard by the hug.

"Can't breathe."

Ben pulled away. "Thank you so much Mal! You didn't have to though."

"It's no biggie," Mal said.

Ben placed the ring on his middle finger.

It was a perfect fit.

He could feel something.

"That would be the protections surrounding the ring," Mal explained. "Madam Cassandra knows that magic is outlawed, but she said that this is the only time she used it, to protect you from what's to come in the future. Whatever that means."

Ben was touched by the gift.

Ben and Mal went to their next destination; a café owned by the Mad Hatter's daughter, Madeline. Madeline wasn't as eccentric as her dad. She was chilled and laid back.

Ben surprised Mal by ordering her favorite flavored milkshake and.

He struggled to hold back a grin when he saw Mal's jaw drop. He owes Aziz big time for that little piece of information.

After they had a little snack at the café, they went to the shops to by small gifts for their friends and family just because.

Mal was surprised when Ben bought her a very expensive gift.

It was a purple dragon made from amethyst and the statue had emerald gems for the eyes; purple and green, Mal's favorite colors.

"How did you know?" she asked after hugging him.

"The faded purple tips of your hair and the color of your eyes," Ben said, lovingly.

Mal blushed.

They spent two hours exploring the city and then came across a quiet place that overlooked the sea and across the sea was Mal's former home.

"It's so gloomy," she said softly. "The total opposite of Auradon."

Ben followed her line of vision.

He agreed with Mal, but didn't say anything.

They looked out to see the island of villains cut off from the rest of Auradon by a dome preventing magic to be used.

Ben shuddered seeing lightning flash.

He felt a bit ill just looking at the green-grey clouds.

"I bet when the villains and their children look from there all they see are fantasy bright lights and colors," Mal continued. "If only…"

"If only what?" Ben asked, curious.

Mal shook her head.

"No, tell me," Ben gently urged.

Mal turned to face him then went back to staring at the island.

There was a moment of silence.

"Have you ever wondered what life would be like if the children on the Isle had a chance to live here? To have a second chance and prove that they are nothing like their parents?"

Ben's eyes widened.

Mal didn't miss her former home, but she missed her former friends.

She felt a tinge of guilt for not missing her mom because, Maleficent never really showed her any affection.

 _Love is weak,_ Maleficent growled. _Long live evil!_

Mal shuddered remembering her mother's evil cackle.

Ben noticed her shiver.

He took off his jacket and placed it over Mal's shoulders.

"We should get back to the car. We have one more place to go to," Ben said.

Mal nodded and followed him to the car.

Just as Mal and Ben left…

"His proclamation is going to rock Auradon," Madam Cassandra said to another woman.

"But it will prevent another generation of villains from destroying the peace we've had," the woman next to her added.

 **oOo**

Mal couldn't help but have this feeling that she was being watched during her outing with Ben. The hairs on her neck started rising when that feeling came back again.

She looked behind her to find a car behind them.

She didn't want to worry Ben just yet, so she checked every five minutes to see if the Ford was still trailing behind them.

Ben noticed her tensing after a while.

He placed his hand on hers.

"Mal?"

"Ben, I think we're being followed," Mal stated.

"What?" Ben asked.

"That car has been following us for an hour. Ben, we're being followed," Mal repeated.

"Ummm… maybe we should head back to the school," Ben said. "For our safety."

Mal scoffed. "No ways. I'm enjoying my afternoon so far and I don't want it ruined by some stalker. Sorry Ben, but I'm about to break a rule."

"What?" Ben was confused.

Mal closed her eyes and her hands started glowing green.

It took a while for Mal's charm to work.

Fog appeared slowly.

It took a few minutes for them to lose sight of the car.

It was the first time Ben has saw anyone use magic. It was incredible. Everyone assumed that magic has been outlawed.

The thing is, magic isn't used much because there hasn't been any danger in Auradon.

There was no reason to use magic unless it was an emergency.

"Phew."

Ben saw that the fog was far behind them and there was no sight of the car.

"That should keep him off our trail for a while," Mal said. "I hope you're not mad I used magic."

"Um… It's fine," Ben said, a bit in a daze. "At least it wasn't used for personal gain."

"Right," Mal said. "So what is our destination?"

Just as Ben was about to answer, his phone rang.

"Sorry," Ben apologized to Mal.

He answered after two rings.

Mal could not hear what was being said on the other line. She could just hear Ben's side of the conversation.

"How long? No, no. Um… I do have one, but I just need to work out a few details. Give me until the end of the day. Okay. Umm… talk to you later, dad."

Ben sighed. "Great."

"What's wrong?" Mal asked.

"I just lied to my dad, saying that I know what my first proclamation is going to be," Ben said.

Mal's eyes widened.

"This is the first time I've lied to my dad about something this important!" Ben was on the edge of panicking. "Now I can't enjoy our outing because I'll be stressing about what my first proclamation is going to be."

Mal could feel his sadness and anxiety.

It was weird, she's never felt anyone's emotions before.

Ben sighed."We're going to have to put our trip on hold. I'm going to have to go back to the castle to sort this out."

"Ben, remember what I told you yesterday?" Mal asked him. "I'm your self-appointed assistant."

Ben chuckled.

 _How could he forget?_

"So our next destination is the castle then," Ben said.

"Looks like it," Mal smiled at him.

Ben and Mal spent the rest of their drive in silence.

While Mal admired the scenery, Ben couldn't help but think about what Mal said when they looked at the Isle of the Lost.

 _"It's so gloomy,"_

 _"The total opposite of Auradon."_

 _"I bet when the villains and their children look from there all they see are fantasy bright lights and colors," Mal continued. "If only…"_

 _"Have you ever wondered what life would be like if the children on the Isle had a chance to live here? To have a second chance and prove that they are nothing like their parents?"_

 _"If only…"_

All these thoughts were swirling in Ben's head.

Ben looked at Mal.

She was given a second chance to prove that she is not a villain. She's proof that even the evilest of them all could change.

Mal turned to face Ben.

She noticed a spark in his eyes.

"What?" she asked.

"I know what my first proclamation is going to be," Ben stated.

Mal gave him a look that said: "Go on."

"I thought about what you said earlier; giving children on the Isle a chance to live here in Auradon, to show that they're not their parents…" Ben began.

"Yeah…"

"I know this is crazy and most of Auradon will have my head for it," Ben said.

Mal put the pieces together. "You want to bring villains' kids here to Auradon…"

Ben nodded.

Mal wanted to know more of Ben's plan and urged him to continue. "Carry on."

"We'll start out with the five that needs our help the most and…"

 **oOo**

 **A/N: Got a bit of inspiration from Harry Potter:** _ **Cassandra Trelawney.**_

 _ **NEXT CHAPTER:**_

 _ **MEETING KING BEAST.  
AUDREY'S RETURN.**_

 **oOo** _ **  
**_


	6. Announcements

For the next two hours Ben and Mal looked through the folders. Ben already picked out four children. He said that he'll let Mal pick the last one while he gets some snacks from Mrs. Potts.

It was hard for Mal to look at the pictures of familiar faces. The villains' kids looked so angry, scared and bitter in those pictures. She wondered how the king managed to get them.

Mal was curious as who Ben picked to come to Auradon.

She got out of her chair and picked up the four folders.

 _Hmm… Not bad Ben. They won't cause much trouble and they do have potential to be good,_ Mal thought after going through the four files.

She went back to her side and sat down. Mal groaned seeing the pile of files in front of her and started going through them.

There seemed to be a pattern going on.

Each one of these kids is being molded into copies of their parents. Their names are male or female versions of the villains' names.

Anthony Tremaine… Claudine Frollo… Francine "Freddie" Facilier…

 _Harry Hook._

She remembered that the obsession he had with the hook. He pretended that he lost his hand like his father, Captain Hook.

Looks like he built himself a fearful reputation.

Mal shuddered reading his report.

There's no way someone that unhinged is be brought to Auradon.

She saw that he had two sisters, he's the middle child and that his dad wasn't exactly happy that his only son was first mate to…

 _No!_

 _Her?_

 _What the-"_

Mal closed his file and searched for another file connected to Harry Hook. Her heart was racing when she found it. It looks like Harry's captain had made a name for herself.

She's the leader of the group called the Rough Seas Three.

Mal was half tempted to throw her folder away, but the other half wanted this girl to come to Auradon. She still harbored a lot of anger towards this girl.

She carried on reading about her former friend.

It looks like she's enemies with another old friend of hers. The sea witch's daughters made tons of enemies over the years.

It was plain to see that she wasn't liked or feared by the people of the Isle.

A lot of Mal's former enemies became the VK's enemies. It was like the girl was trying to be Mal, but failed miserably. She charged in head first like a rhino.

This girl did not have the patience to learn the strength and weaknesses of enemies.

The only reason why people stayed away from her was because she had the unhinged son of Captain Hook as her first mate.

Mal missed the times when she could let her hair down and cause mischief with her friends. She could do what she wanted without getting in trouble.

She and Uma were an unstoppable force.

She sighed wondering if it is a good idea to invite her former friend to Auradon. She's got so much potential and she can step out of her sisters' and cousins' shadows.

Mal prayed that she didn't make a bad choice and placed the file on top of the ones Ben chose.

All of a sudden Mal heard screaming. She got out of her chair and saw that Ben was trying to calm someone down. Mal hid in the shadows listening in on their conversation.

"You're causing a scene Audrey."

"I gave you the best years of my life and you throw me aside like trash!"

Mal rolled her eyes.

"I thought you were on a retreat with your grandmother. Why are you here?" Ben calmly asked.

"We have been together for years Ben? We were so happy," Audrey sounded like she was going to cry.

"I wasn't happy," Ben argued. "I only dated you because everyone expected us to be together. I gave in to the pressure. I then realized that I was wrong to lead you on. You deserve so much better Audrey. I'm sorry but I can't live a lie anymore."

"Excuses!" Audrey yelled. "Excuses! Excuses! Excuses-"

"Ah hem."

The two turned to see that it was Adam, King Beast.

Mal did not even notice that he was there. She looked around to see Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts hiding behind walls and statues.

They wanted to see what all the commotion's about.

"Your majesty," Audrey curtsied.

Adam did not look impressed at the girl.

"Audrey, I think it's best if you go home now. You're disturbing the castle. Ben had some important business to attend to and I don't appreciate you distracting him."

The princess blushed and bowed her head. Eyes full of tears, she ran out of the castle.

Adam sighed.

"Sorry for the disturbance, dad. It won't happen again," Ben apologized.

"It's alright son," Adam said. "Anyways, you have some explaining to do."

Ben looked confused.

"Mind telling me who the young lady is hiding in the shadows?" Adam asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Ben blushed. "Um… uh… Well…"

Mal paled.

The King knew where she's hiding.

Heels echoed.

Adam turned to see a fae-like girl walking down the stairs. She looked so delicate, but her green eyes told a whole different story.

She curtsied. "Your majesty."

Adam bowed.

"Dad, this is Mal. She's new here," Ben introduced them. "She's my self-appointed assistant."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Self appointed?"

"Ben was working himself to exhaustion at the library," Mal explained. "I was done with my homework anyways and decided to help him before he ran out of steam."

"Overreaction," Ben muttered.

"A fact," Mal said in a sing-song voice.

Adam chuckled. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mal."

"Likewise, your majesty," Mal said, blushing.

"Please, call me Adam," the King said.

Ben looked at his dad with wide eyes.

 _Looks like dad isn't mad at me after the disastrous council meeting,_ Ben thought.

"Have a pleasant day, Mal," Adam smiled then turned to Ben. "Don't forget about the council meeting tomorrow Ben and the dress fitting for the coronation."

Ben nodded.

Adam chuckled and left the two.

He had a good feeling about Mal.

In those short moments he could tell that the two were smitten, but were taking things slow because they've just met and don't want to cause any scandal.

Ben breaking up with Audrey was still top news.

Adam couldn't help but wonder who this girl reminded him off.

Meanwhile Mal and Ben went back to the office to finish up the proclamation and after that they went back to campus before it got dark.

Mal enjoyed the time she spent with Ben.

The two walked in silence not knowing that Aziz was watching them in the shadows. He smirked. It was so obvious that those two like one another.

Ben walked Mal to her dorm.

"Um…" Ben didn't know what to say.

Mal smiled. "See you tomorrow Ben."

She kissed his cheek and went into her dorm.

Ben froze.

Slowly, a goofy smile appeared on his face.

In a daze he walked to his dorm. The moment he opened the door, Aziz stood in the middle of the room with his arms folded.

Ben shook his head and gulped seeing the serious look on his friend's face.

"You have a lot of explaining to do pal," Aziz stated. Then he grinned.

His grin showed Ben that Aziz wasn't angry with him.

 **OOo**

Sleep didn't come easy for Mal.

She shivered hearing her mother's cackling and the sound of thunder. Green lightning struck and in the end of the tunnel of darkness was her mother's scepter.

Mal couldn't remember when last she had a nightmare.

It's been so long.

 _I don't know what's going on with me…_

 _It feels as if I am losing my mind._

 _One minute I'm dreaming about this guy who loves me just the way I am and next I have nightmares of my mom and her scepter that was taken away from her years ago._

 _Could she have found it?_

 _What will she do once she finds it?_

 _Does she… does she still think I'm dead?_

 **oOo**

It was the following morning and news already spread that Audrey is back and is not happy. She has been snapping at everyone since her return.

The students thought that she would be out of the public eye for a while.

Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip had a press conference. They said that even though they were upset that their daughter had their heart broken, they understood Ben's reasons.

What really got the press talking was the next statement about everyone expecting the prince and princess to date and get married right after graduation. Ben felt pressured and unhappy; he couldn't bend to the people's will anymore. Audrey would have been miserable.

Ben was glad that Audrey's parents cleared things up before the council meeting. He did hear some rumors about a fight between Queen Leah and Princess Aurora.

He hoped everything was alright.

Ben felt his phone vibrating. He checked to see that it was a text.

 _Good luck. Hope everything goes according to plan – M._

He smiled and climbed into the limo.

Meanwhile…

Mal was faced with her cousin and sister arguing with one another.

"Chad Charming! We hate him. You hate him. He dates girls and tosses them in the trash," Melody said. "He flirted with Mal on her first day, remember."

" Chad was just being friendly. He's changed Mel," Arabella argued. "I only said I hate him because of this… You being mad at me. You never want me to be happy."

"That's not true," Melody disagreed.

"This discussion is over," Arabella snapped.

"Fine, but don't come back to me when he breaks your heart," Melody said. "I won't be there to pick up the piece."

Arabella stormed out of the dorm. Melody did the same, but went into the opposite direction. Mal sighed and left, closing the door behind her.

Her morning started out great.

She woke up to find her friends looking guilty. They apologized to her by making an "I'm sorry" cake because they forgot that Mal was new here and they forgot to give her a tour of the school.

She forgave them.

Aziz was the only one who knew what Mal was up to the previous afternoon. He got all the details from Ben when he got back.

Things went all pear shaped when Melody answered Arabella's cellphone only to hear Chad's voice.

The last time the girls had a fight like this was two years ago when Arabella started dating Melody's crush. Those two did not talk for several weeks.

The rest of the day was alright.

Melody and Arabella avoided one another. They switched partners at Science and Home Economics. Mal avoided being alone with them because they would force her to pick a side.

They used to do that when they got into arguments.

Mal was so wrapped up in her thoughts, the only thing that snapped her out of it was the sound of the intercom.

"Attention Auradon Knights," it was Doug." Here are your daily announcements. The pep rally for our tourney match against the Sherwood falcons will be held after class in the west hall gym."

Go Knights!" Mal heard someone cheering.

Everyone else started cheering.

"And a reminder; Birds and rodents are prohibited from choir practice. While many woodland creatures make excellent singing companions at home, here at school it's a health code issue.

Auditions for the school musical; "What's That Spell?" will be next Thursday. Thanks to all who participated in last week's charity carriage wash. Thanks to your efforts, the jungle of Neverland will remain well."

Prince Ben has called a special assembly tomorrow for an important announcement. Attendance is mandatory by order of his father, King Beast. Have an enchanting day and remember goodness doesn't get any better than at Auradon Prep."

 **oOo**

 _Mandatory assembly… What's that about? And why do I get the feeling that something bad is about to happen. Be good Auradon, someone's watching._

 _XOXO- SS._

 **oOo**


End file.
